Story Highlights

TAMPA, Fla. – As a team, the Flyers had rehearsed their new mantra. First it was all about clinching a playoff spot, next it was about getting home ice.

The latter is no longer an attainable goal thanks to a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Within seconds, the Flyers' fate seemed determined.

In New York, the final buzzer sounded on a Rangers win over the Buffalo Sabres. Then, in Tampa, Richard Panik scored a goal that took the Flyers out of their element.

The Rangers win combined with the Flyers regulation loss means the Flyers can only finish as high as third place in the Metropolitan Division. There will be no home-ice advantage for the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.

But they're more concerned with how they played in the third period against the Lightning.

"I've got to make saves in the third," said goalie Ray Emery, who allowed three on nine shots in the final frame. "We wanted it. We wanted to get home ice. It's a disappointing third period."

Anders Lindback had a lot to do with that. The Lightning goalie has been a backup all season and didn't have impressive numbers … unless he was playing the Flyers.

The 6-foot-6 goalie has seven wins this season, three of them against the Flyers. In his latest victory, he made 34 saves.

"We got tons of chances," said Wayne Simmonds, who scored on the power play in the waning moments of the first period. "That part of our game was there. It seemed like he was pulling saves out of his butt there. A lot of them, it didn't look like he was in position. Their defenders were making saves, bouncing off their shin pads and stuff."

Another part of the Flyers' problem was that they put themselves in a hole early.

Two minutes into the game, the Lightning had the lead. Steve Downie turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Steven Stamkos passed it to Tyler Johnson for the rookie's 24th goal of the season.

"I thought we competed real hard," coach Craig Berube said. "I thought the first five minutes we turned the puck over a couple times and they ended up getting a goal there. Other than that, I liked the way we played tonight. We didn't finish good enough. We had some chances and it makes a big difference if we score earlier."

The only other Flyers goal game at 12:22 of the third period. Sean Couturier tossed a puck on net and it took a lucky bounce off Ondrej Palat's stick and into the defenseman's own net.

By that point, the game already felt decided. Eric Brewer scored the game winner a few minutes before that. Downie abandoned his coverage and allowed the Lightning defenseman to go in and snipe a shot past Emery.

Afterward, the Flyers were left wondering what they can do to not lose control in the third period, a frame in which they were dominant earlier this season.

"It's a mindset," Simmonds said. "You can't practice on playing consistently for 60 minutes. You just gotta have it in your mind and you've got to have a short memory. Sometimes I think we make mistakes and we tend to dwell on them. That can't happen now."

There are two games left for the Flyers, and while they can no longer get home ice in a first-round matchup, which city they travel to is still up in the air.

"You've got to win on the road to win a Stanley Cup," said Scott Hartnell, who took two penalties against the Lightning.

"I think we're a pretty solid road team when we want to play the right way. Whether it's New York or [Pittsburgh] or Boston, whoever we end up playing, those are tough buildings to play in and we've got to just get sharper."